Device for projecting moving message



July 17, 1962 F. c. FoRNEY 3,044,353

DEVICE FOR PROJECTING MOVING MESSAGE Filed May 13. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 70 FIG. 5 4 60 INVENTOR. FERDINAND C. FORNEY AT TORNEYS July 17, 1962 F. c. FORNEY 3,044,353

DEVICE FOR PROJECTING MOVING MESSAGE Filed May 13 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z8" 5l 710] 53 l /O 1:1 /61 26 54 V'l' 99 6o' 77 .59 73* Y I Z l I I;S\ 7 74d* 0%?, JI o 5e\ l 4,38 60 Z /4 87 7 @@oo@ 36. 66 ad@ 5911-43 4 I 88 1214 n wj \44 1,4 707 44 *l-s 700 Q-5 INVENTM 4 4 FERDIMND C .FORNEY ATTORNEYS July 17, 1962 F. c. FORNEY 3,044,353

DEVICE FOR PROJECTING MOVING MESSAGE Filed May 13. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGAL.

'5km w 5MM ATTORNEYS United States Fatent O 3,044,353 DEVICE FOR PRJECTING MOVING WSSAGE Ferdinand C. Forney, Roto-See Co., 3067 Kleeman Road, Cincinnati 11, Ohio Filed May 13, 1959, Ser. No. 812,927 2 Claims. (Cl. 88-27) 'I'his invention relates to advertising devices and more particularly to an advertising device for projecting a continuously moving message on a screen.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which projects a continuous message from a film drum onto a screen on which the message may be viewed.

A'further object of this invention is to provide a machine of this type in which the message comprises a plurality of sloping or helical lines on the film drum and in which the drum is moved axially and rotated while light is projected through a section thereof, to project the message on the screen.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of this type in which the drum moves axially in one direction, while rotating at a speed which permits projection of the message and in which the drum is moved rapidly at the end of the message in the opposite direction to lthe start of the message, so that the message is repeated.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, from the following detailed description and the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of an advertising device constructed in accordance with an embodiment of :this invention, fragmentary portions of a bus wall and of a hand rail being shown in section in association therewith;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. l with the upper case half removed, a portion of a screen thereof being broken away and in section to reveal details of structure;

FIG. 3 is `a view in section taken on the line 3 3 in FIG. 2, case supporting brackets being partly broken away;

FIG. 4 is a View in section taken on the line 4 4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5 5 in FIG. 3, part of a hlm strip being broken away to reveal details of structure;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view in transverse section of a movable film drum and a lm strip which form a part of the device, a film clamp being shown in closed position in full lines and in released position in dot-dash lines;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in section taken on the line 7 7 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the iilm strip removed from the film drum;

FIG. 9 is a View in section taken on the line 9 9 in FIG. 3;

FIG. l is a perspective View of the upper portion of a main shaft with the movable drum removed;

FIG. 11 is a view in section taken on the line 11-11 in FIG. l

FIG. 12 is a view in section taken on the line A12 12 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 13 is a view in section taken on the line 13 13 in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 14 is a view in section taken on the line 14 14 in FIG. 3.

In the following detailed description, and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts.

In FIG. 1 is shown an advertising device constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention which includes upper and lower case halves 13 and 14. The upper case half 13 carries resilient mounting brackets 16 and 17. A clamp arm 18 is mounted on the bracket 16 and can be attached to top or ceiling panel 19 of a bus, or the like, by bolts 21. A clamp 22 is mounted on the bracket 17 and can engage the `horizontal hand rail 23 of the bus. The device can thus be mounted inside a bus, or the like, in a position to be viewed by passengers therein.

The casing halves 13 and 14 are held together in assembled relation by bolts 24, 25, and 26 (FIG. 2). Details lof construction of the bolt 26 are shown in FIG. 9. The upper end of bolt 26 is releasably It-hreaded in a boss 28 which is integral with the upper case half 13. The lower end of the bolt 26 is rotatably mounted in a bore 29 of a boss 31, which is integral with the lower case half. An enlarged portion 27 of the bolt 26 turns inu a counter-bore 33. A head 34 of the bolt 26, which may be square in transverse cross-section, can receive a key (not shown) for turning the bolt. A compression spring 36, mounted on the shank of the bolt, prevents inadvertent turning of the bolt. The spring engages the boss 31 and a washer 38 mounted on the shank of the bolt. 'I'he washer 38 in turn engages a pin 41 which extends through the bolt 26.

A main frame plate 43 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is mounted inside the lower case half 14 parallel to `and spaced above ythe bottom thereof. The main frame plate 43 is mounted on lugs 44 (FIG. 3) which are integral withk the lower case-half. Screws 46 attach the main frame plate 43 to the lugs 44.

A stationary, hollow drum 47 is mounted on the frame plate 43. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the drum is provided with a slot 48 through which light is projected from a lamp 49. Otherwise, the stationary drum is opaque. The upper end of the drum 47 is partially closed by a top or cap 51 (FIGS. 2 and 5), which lits over the upper edge of the stationary drum 47 and is removably held in place thereon by spring clamps 52, one of which is shown in detail in FIG. 5. The cap 51 includes la cross bar,

53 which spans the cap. The lamp 49 is mounted on the underside of the cross bar 53. In addition, a rst lens holder 54 (FIG. 3) is attached to the underside of the cross bar 53. A second lens holder 56 is attached to the outside of the stationary drum overlying the slot 48.

A movable drum 58 is mounted inside the stationary drum. The movable drum 58 is rotatably mounted on an upright shaft 59 and can move axially along the shaft 59. The upper end of the shaft 59 is received inside a bearing m-ember S7 in the cross bar S3. The movable drum carries a web or strip of ilm 60 on which a message i-s printed. Light is projected by the lamp 49 through a section of the film and through appropriate lenses in the lens holders and through the slot 48 onto a mirror 61 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which reflects the light onto a ground glass screen 62 (FIGS. 1 and 2) or the like, where the message appears in moving lettering as the movable drum turns and moves axially. As shown, the screen is of long oblong shape and an elongated -moving image appears thereon. n

As shown in FIG. 8, the ilm strip 60 carries a message which includes a plurality of rows or lines 63 of lettering forming a message, which lines slope as shown in FIG. 8. As the movable drum is turned and is advanced axially the message is transmitted through the slot 48 (FIG. 2) onto the ground glass screen 62 (FIGS. l and 2).

The lm strip has a plurality of perforatons 64 along the lower edge thereof, as shown in FIG. 8. The movable drum includes a ring portion 66 having an outwardly extending flange 67 (FIGS. 5 and 14) on which the lower edge of the lm strip 60 rests. A plurality of pins 68, one of which is `shown in FIG. 14, extend outwardly of the ring portion 66 and engage the perforations 64 to hold the film stripin place. End portions 70 and 71 (FIG. 8) of the lm strip contain rows of perforations 72. When the film strip is mounted on the movable drum, the end portions overlap, as shown in FIG. 6, and are engaged by a clamp 73 which forms a part of the movable drum. The clamp 73 includes a stationary, upright arm 74 and a clamp arm 76 hinged to the upright arm 74 on a pivot 77. Pins 78 mounted in the upright arm 74 engage the perforations in the ends of the film strip and are received inside openings '79 in the clamp arm.

The movable drum rides on a bearing member 81 (FIGS. 3 and 5) which spans the stationary drum. The upright shaft `59 rotates inside a bearing 82 (FIG. 5) mounted in the bearing member 81. ,Thebearing 82 supports the .movable drum. Ends of the bearing member 81 carry rollers`83 and Sil-(FIGS. 2, 5 and 7). The rollers 83 and -84 ride in slots 85 in the walls ofthe stationary drum, one of whichis shown-in FIG. 7. The rollers 83 and 84 ride Von cams 86 and S7, respectively (FIG. 2). The cams are mounted on a camshaft 88 (FIGS. and 7). As the cam shaft 88 turns in a clock-` wise direction, as shown by arrows in FIG. 7, the cams vslowly raise the drum until a radial portion 89 of the cams is reached, whereupon, the bearing member and the movable 4drum can fall rapidly to an initial position at which the cams start to raise the movable drum again. In FIG. 5, an intermediate position of the -drum is shown in full lines. drum before it falls is shown in dot-dash lines.

While the cams raise and lower the movable drum, the movable drum turns with the upright shaft 59 (FIG. 5). A slotted sleeve 91 is mounted onthe shaft 59. The sleeve 91 has two upright slots 92 and 93. As shown most clearly in FIG. 10, ends of a pin 94 are received in the slots of the sleeve 91. The pin 94 extends through the shaft S9 (see FIGS. 5 and 11) and is received in the slots so that the sleeve 91 turns with the shaft 59, but the sleeve can move lengthwise'of the shaft as the movable drum S8Y|is raised and lowered. Ther-movahledrurn 56 has a hub 96 which surrounds the sleeve 91. A lug 97 is mounted on the interior of the hub 96, as shown Vin FIG.

91. .The washer 99 includes a flat side 100 which can be f aligned with the groove 98, as shown in FIG. 10. When As the movable `drum 5S rotates, it moves gradually upwardly along the shaft S9 while the message on the nlm str-ip is projected on the ground glass screen 62 (FIG. l). When the end of the message is reached, the rollers S3 and 84 (FIG. 2) are reached by the radial sections of the cams (see FIG.v 7), and the drum drops back to a starting or initial position of the film str-ip, whereupon the message is projected over again.

The device illustrated in the drawings and described above is subject to structural modification, without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for projecting a moving message on a screen which comprises a drum, a rotatable shaft, means for mounting said drum for rotation with and for axial movement along said shaft, means for mounting a film strip on said drum coaxially therewith, there being a plurality of lines of message on said film strip, means for rotating said shaft to rotate the drum, a bearing member supporting said drum, a cam follower mounted on said bearing member, a cam shaft connected to said rotatable shaft to be driven in timed relation therewith, a cam on said cam shaft engaging the cam follower for axially advancing said drum in timed relation to rotation of the V the light is projected as a moving message.

The uppermost position reached by the 'Y the washer 99 is'in the position shown in FIG. 10, lthe Y upper end 'of the groove 98 is open `so that Vthe movable drum can be moved `into position. The washer 99 is hield down by a compression spring 101which bears against a washer 102 mounted on the shaft 59. n

. The movable drum and the cam shaft are both driven by a motor 103 (FIG. 2) having a shaft 104. ;As shown 2. A device for projecting a moving message on a screen which comprises a drum, an upright shaft, means for mounting said drum for rotation with and for axial movement along said shaft, means for mounting a ilm strip on said drum coaxially therewith, there being a plural-ity of lines of message on said'lm strip, means for rotating said shaft to rotate said drum, a bearing member support-ing said drum, a cam follower mounted on said the cam lowering the cam follower when the drum reaches a predetermined height, whereby thedrum fallsto a predetermined initial height, means inside the drum for projecting light through a selected portion of the film strip, and a screen on which the light is projected as a moving message.

References `Cited in the file of this patent i UNITED STATES VPATENTS Y 814,662 Baker Mar. 13, 1906 1,076,404 Bolam et al. Oct. 21, 1913 1,624,667 Kern Apr. 12, 1927 1,641,727 Bradford Sept. 6, 1927 2,272,622 Rundle Feb. l10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,008 Germany July 12, 1,930 

